Description
A Fistful of My Sky
memories of Jawhar
Dr. ANAND GOKANI
After graduating as a doctor one is expected to do a year long internship. This internship used to be for six months in the urban hospital and six months in a rural hospital. This memoir is an account of the six months I spent in Jawhar, a remote Adivasi village 160km from Bombay.
This book is based in 1981 and the characters, events and sentiments expressed herein are as accurately real as possible. This is an account of life in the village in that era. The bountiful Natural beauty, unspoilt by urbanisation, the simple, innocent and loyal people and their lives as they intertwine with ours, the excitement of working with bare minimum resources yet delivering medical care to the poor and helpless people is the crux of this little treatise.
The interning doctors from Bombay, the staff of the hospital, and the people who knocked on the doors for help are woven together in this intricate meshwork of events, emotions, excitement, intrigue, joy, sorrow, gratitude and loyalty.
Anecdotes of true grit like the story of Dhavali, or the marvel and miracle of modern science that saved Shiva, the faith and gratitude shown by the Adivasis to the doctors at the hospital, all are a part of the large canvas that spans six months spent in the remotest village with the most backward of humanity.
Stories of love, kindness, bravery, loyalty, gratitude, success, failure, cooperation, innovation, and simplicity abound in these pages. The book has the ingredients of a medical novel, yet it is a true-to- life story. It is about the poor who are effectively camouflaged in villages which are tucked away in oblivion, far away from the glitterati of the highway community. This book, this memoir, is testimony to their plight. It is a story of rural India …raw and unexpurgated. It is the story of the heart of India.
About the Author
DR. ANAND GOKANI. MD. Is a Consultant Physician with Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases as a speciality. Dr Anand Gokani has practiced at the Bombay Hospital and the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai for the past 36 years.
Dr. Gokani’s multifaceted approach to healthcare education is impressive. His lectures and workshops cover a broad spectrum of topics, from the technical aspects of diabetes management to the more philosophical considerations of health and ethics. His role as a visiting faculty member at various educational institutions, including Nursing School of SNDT Women’s University, the Institute for Gandhian Studies and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Wardha, highlights his commitment to integrating traditional values with modern medical practice.
The wide reach of his lectures, both in-person and through online platforms like GetSetUp, indicates his ability to connect with and educate a global audience. His extensive writing on diverse subjects such as nutrition, exercise, and the philosophy of life and death further showcases his depth of knowledge and passion for sharing it.
Dr. Anand Gokani’s role as a Trustee at the Bombay Medical Aid Foundation is a testament to his dedication to providing care and support to those in need. The Foundation’s commitment to offering financial and medical assistance and running an eye hospital with comprehensive care at competitive rates reflects a deep understanding of the importance of accessible healthcare.
He founded a Palliative Care Ward at the hospital to care for terminally ill patients to give them comfort and dignity in the last months of life. He raised 1.8 crores for a Palliative Care Ward Expansion by 25 beds commissioned recently.
An avid traveller, he writes and reads various subjects and enjoys sports and photography. He has authored a book on The Role of Vegetarian Diet in Health and Disease (presently out of print). He has also compiled a book on pictures and aphorisms titled ‘At The Crack Of Dawn’.
He is married and lives in Mumbai. He has two sons, two daughters(-in-law) and three grandsons.
Other book published: ‘At The Crack of Dawn’ a coffee table book on inspiration.
Jsp –
Dr Gokani’s memoir transports one into a heart tugging n soul stirring world of simple folk and their resilience in the face of adversities that plague them. The reader’s heart goes out to the interns as they deal with curveball upon curveball that are pitched their way. My favourite parts were the descriptive passages as the young, idealistic doctor mulls upon his experiences. The style flows so effortlessly that one can easily forget that this is not an accomplished writer one is reading. A truly heartwarming account! Just a word of caution; start reading this when you’re at leisure– you just won’t want to put it down! Can barely wait to read your next book, Dr Gokani!
S. Pandey –
Poignant and reflective; this book made the small town people and their lives come alive through these pages; it felt like we’d lived through their pain beside them.